Top 10 Millennial Sports Stars Right Now
The White House Council of Economic Advisers defines millennials as "the cohort of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s." While you may not define yourself as a millennial even if you were born during that period—and that's a different discussion for a different piece—there is no debate that the professional sports world, in many ways, belongs to the dominant young athletes who have generated headlines over the past year or so.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had a nightmare evening at Super Bowl 50. Those several hours do not, however, take away from the fact that Newton is the reigning National Football League Most Valuable Player and one of the new faces of the league. Newton could be back at it on Super Sunday next year.
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Stephen Curry is seemingly able to make National Basketball Association history each time that he steps onto a court for a game. Katie Ledecky is a young woman who could be on the verge of becoming a household name before the end of the summer. Jordan Spieth is one of three young guns carrying the PGA now that Tiger Woods is no longer dominating events and drawing massive television ratings.
The cycle of life is represented in pro sports on a yearly basis. Living legends such as Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez and others are always eventually replaced by new champions. Perhaps most impressive about the millennials featured in this piece is that each of them could reach even greater heights before the end of the decade.
All could have opportunities to make significant history as they enter their physical primes.
Katie Ledecky
Casual American sports fans ignore sports such as swimming except for once every four years when the Summer Olympics take place. Thus, you may be left scratching your head upon seeing the name of Katie Ledecky.
Don't worry. You'll probably be familiar with Ledecky by the time that the 2016 Olympics conclude.
Ledecky is on her way to becoming possibly the greatest competitive swimmer, woman or man, in the history of the United States. Her resume, posted on USASwimming.org, is somewhat comical in that it is astonishing that one person could post such achievements before her 19th birthday, which will occur in March.
Ledecky holds 11, count 'em, 11 world records as of the middle of February 2016. She could decide to branch out to other events seemingly for fun. David Rieder of Swimming World Magazine touched upon the dominance of Ledecky in January.
"Yes, now that Ledecky has cracked into the 53-second range, she could seriously be a contender to make the Olympic team in four different freestyle events. That’s historically unheard of; the last person to even swim both the 800 free and the 400 free relay for the U.S. at an Olympics was Shirley Babashoff at the 1976 Games in Montreal. In fact, no one even swam both the 400 free individual and relay events again until Allison Schmitt did so in London in 2012.
And suddenly, after her performance in Austin, the world record-holder in the 400 and 800 free looks like a must-have for the American 400 free relay, a squad that has struggled mightily in recent seasons, including a distant third-place finish last summer in Kazan. Would Ledecky seriously consider contesting the individual 100 free at the Olympics? That’s a decision that she will have to make with her coach, Bruce Gemmell. But the most incredible part: doing so no longer sounds far-fetched.
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Ledecky is somewhat of an anomaly compared to some millennials out there in that she is not on social media all that much. The swimming superstar has over 35,000 followers on Twitter even though she sometimes goes months without sending out a single tweet! Ledecky's Instagram account is just as inactive.
We suppose she does all of her talking in the water.
Russell Wilson
The story of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is one that can serve as inspiration for anybody who has been counted out in any walk of life. Wilson transferred from North Carolina State to Wisconsin, was overlooked entering the 2012 NFL draft and then had to win the Seattle starting gig from journeyman Matt Flynn.
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll eventually going all-in on Wilson has worked out well for all parties.
Wilson helped the Seahawks earn a playoff berth in his debut season, and he was invited to the Pro Bowl. The Seahawks were even better the following year, particularly on defense, and Wilson helped guide Seattle to a Super Bowl championship. Odds are that Wilson and the Seahawks would have retained that title in February 2015 had Carroll elected to run the ball for what became one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history.
At just 27 years old, Wilson is still finding his feet in the NFL. Wilson has, as explained by Sheil Kapadia of ESPN, already set Seattle team records, and he is a proven champion. Every franchise in the NFL currently in need of a QB passed on Wilson back in the spring of 2012.
Whoops.
Those who follow Wilson via social media websites such as Twitter are likely aware that the QB routinely makes visits to children's hospitals. Following Wilson on Twitter will also give you an inside look at the player's relationship with entertainer Ciara. Questions about Wilson and Ciara taking the "next step" as a couple continue to be a hot topic on the Internet.
Give Wilson credit for having such restraint.
Conor McGregor
Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White must feel as if he has hit the lottery multiple times as of late. The UFC had Brock Lesnar, the former World Wrestling Entertainment star who became the world heavyweight champion of the top mixed martial arts company on the planet. Then came Ronda Rousey, the "baddest woman of the planet" who became a superstar outside of the UFC. Rousey's future with the UFC is somewhat of an enigma following her loss to Holly Holm last November.
There's no need to fear, though, as Conor McGregor is here.
McGregor is hardly your standard UFC fighter. Cut straight from a World Wrestling Entertainment mold, the 27-year-old McGregor has repeatedly proved that he can talk the talk with his promos and then walk the walk by downing opponents inside of the cage. It was this past December when McGregor needed only 13 seconds to go from interim featherweight champion to undisputed champ after he floored Jose Aldo with the left-hand strike heard and witnessed around the world.
The UFC would have a draw in McGregor merely defending his crown. That is not enough for the outspoken Irishman. McGregor will, per Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog, challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC lightweight championship on March 5.
It is easy to understand why McGregor has over 1 million followers on Twitter. The champ has been known to spit as much fire via social media as he does at press conferences, particularly before his next fight and after his latest conquest.
Neymar
Any such list would be silly without a space reserved for Neymar. The top young star in the world's game first put the sport on notice back in 2013 when he won the Golden Ball at that year's Confederations Cup. Neymar was, from there, eventually going to catch up with Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.
He is accomplishing that feat before our very eyes this winter.
Nobody should be surprised that Neymar could be named the best footballer in the world when January 2017 rolls around. As JJ Bull of the Telegraph explained this past November, Neymar bagged 39 goals in 51 appearances for Barcelona during the 2014-15 campaign as part of a scoring trio that also included Messi and Luis Suarez, and the Brazilian playmaker also hit the back of the net in the 2015 Champions League Final.
Neymar earned headlines during the fall as he covered for an injured Messi. Barcelona didn't miss a beat, and observers such as Billy Haisley of Deadspin pointed out that Neymar was now on par with Messi and Ronaldo. According to Paul Vinneli of Sky Sports, Premier League side Manchester United "bid £140m for Neymar last summer."
Neymar is, per Tweeting-Athletes.com, the fourth most-followed athlete on Twitter. No wonder Taco Bell wanted to feature him in a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. One could assume, from looking at his Twitter account, that the game did not go as Neymar wished.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Marketing agents dream of being able to work with an athlete such as New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham has been a SportsCenter highlight show unto himself in his two years in the NFL, and he has done so while playing in the New York market. The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2014 has already been the cover man for Madden, and he has been featured in a Super Bowl commercial.
Odds are that you have done well to ignore the NFL over the past two years if you have somehow not seen the one-handed catch that Beckham made versus the Dallas Cowboys in his rookie campaign. Beckham completed a similar grab against the Washington Redskins this past fall. The 23-year-old is more than just a showman who delights fans with the occasional incredible catch.
Beckham may already be the best overall wide receiver in the NFL.
Beckham, per FOXSports.com, has the most consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards (5) in the history of the Giants. No wide receiver in the history of the league had more receiving yards after 24 pro games than Beckham (2,459). Beckham broke the record had by Randy Moss for most receiving yards after two pro seasons, per NJ.com, and Beckham did so despite the fact that he missed five regular-season games over that period.
One might be surprised to learn that Beckham only has roughly 728,000 followers on Twitter. It is not because Beckham is not active on the social media platform. In fact, Beckham routinely interacts with and sometimes even follows lucky fans.
Jamie Vardy
It is only the middle of February, but we already have a front-runner for the 2016 sports story of the year award.
World football is a sport often dominated by clubs that are able to spend incredible amounts of money each transfer window. The likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Barcelona have been mainstays in the Champions League tournament as of late. It is that reality why little Leicester City sitting atop the Premier League table after the first full weekend of February is a true real-life underdog story.
Leicester wouldn't be in such a position without the efforts of striker Jamie Vardy.
At the start of the 2015-16 campaign, Vardy was a name recognized only by Leicester fans and by those who watch every Premier League contest and also Match of the Day episodes. Vardy was, on February 15, the top scorer in all of the Premier League and on 19 goals, per SuperSport.com. His run toward history began during the fall months, when Vardy became the first player to ever notch goals in 11 consecutive Premier League contests, per BBC.com.
Don't feel bad about doubting Vardy and Leicester. You aren't the only one, something that the striker recently had a bit of a laugh about.
Vardy and Leicester dominating Premier League storylines in the winter of 2016 is something one might expect to see take place in an edition of FIFA, but not on actual pitches. The 29-year-old who has buried highlight-reel goals such as the one that he scored against Liverpool earlier this month could become a household name around the world if Leicester win the league.
Vardy is not the most active celebrity on Twitter, which may explain why his official account has only 188K followers. Don't get fooled by any supposed Instagram accounts linked to Vardy that you find. You probably won't be allowed to follow his real one anytime soon.
Jacob deGrom
New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom was not said to be the savior of the club and The Dark Knight when he first joined the team. That distinction went to Matt Harvey. It is Noah Syndergaard and not deGrom who throws the intimidating fastball and who dared the Kansas City Royals to meet him on the mound if they did not like that he was throwing high and tight during the 2015 World Series.
If awards and performance in big games offer any indication, deGrom may turn out to be the gem of the bunch.
An emotionally defeated New York fanbase beaten down by the Mets being consistently mediocre were given hope in 2014 when deGrom matched high expectations had for him en route to winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. A national television audience took notice when deGrom, with his locks flowing from his cap, struck out the side at the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The 27-year-old was special for the Mets during the NL playoffs. DeGrom out-pitched Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the NL Divisional Series. He got the win for the Mets in the series-clinching game. The Chicago Cubs had few answers for deGrom in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series.
You may want to think twice about following deGrom's official Twitter account. He has, in the past, gone months without posting a single Tweet. That fact has not stopped over 73,000 accounts from following deGrom on Twitter.
Jordan Spieth
The PGA could have been in serious trouble due to the physical decline of Tiger Woods occurring before the organization could have hoped. Fortunately, the trio of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day were there to become golf's new Big Three who could carry the sport through 2020 and into the next decade.
Spieth will turn just 23 years old in July, and thus he could have the most staying power when all is said and done.
Casual viewers who only follow the major tournaments were probably a bit surprised to see the young Spieth in it to win it after 54 holes at the 2014 Masters. While Spieth did not finish that tournament atop the leaderboard, he left no doubt when he cruised to victory at Augusta one year later.
Spieth became the youngest player to ever lead a Masters after Round 1, per PGATour.com. He tied the 72-hole mark for the course set by the previously mentioned Woods, per MSN.com. Only Woods was a younger Masters champion than Spieth.
Spieth followed that up by becoming the youngest player to win the U.S. Open since 1923, per Bloomberg.com.
One concern with Spieth is that fatigue has affected him during seasons. Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today touched on the topic in January, and he believes that time has come for Spieth to limit the amount of competitive golf he plays during any given year.
"It’s clear that Spieth has reached the point in his career where he needs to start seriously thinking about the number of events he plays in every year. He’s become such a prominent figure in the sport that every event will be tripping over themselves for him to play, especially tournaments abroad, who try to tempt the best players with exorbitant appearance fees.
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Kerr-Dineen continued.
"It was understandable during his first few years on tour when he was trying to establish himself, but now that he’s a top player he needs to pump the breaks. Playing when you’re a top player, with all the attention and pressure of expectation that goes along with it, is simply too taxing to do it as much as Spieth is right now.
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Those who don't follow the game of golf may not view Spieth as being as massive a superstar as are the likes of Cam Newton, Stephen Curry and Odell Beckham. The Twitter stats beg to differ. Spieth's official Twitter account has over 1.1 million followers. When Spieth isn't tweeting something golf related, he is probably posting thoughts about some sporting event.
Cam Newton
Let's get the negative comments about Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton out of the way. Not everybody is going to love how Newton dances on the field when he enters the end zone or gets a first down. Criticisms about Newton needing to mature are going to continue so long as he acts as he did when in front of reporters following Super Bowl 50.
That out of the way, the 26-year-old just had the best season of his pro career, and he has only played in five NFL seasons.
Newton joined Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and others in the tier of elite QBs during the 2015 NFL campaign. He finished the regular season with career highs in touchdown passes (35), passer rating (99.4) and a career low in interceptions (10), per ESPN. Newton tore apart the defenses of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in postseason play. The phenomenal athlete who is built like a linebacker showed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he can play and win from within the pocket.
All of this occurred after that car accident in December 2014 that could have cost Newton more than just his career on a different day.
Newton deservedly won AP Offensive Player of the Year and AP Most Valuable Player trophies at the NFL Honors awards ceremony the Saturday evening before Super Bowl 50. Just imagine what Newton and the Panthers will be able to achieve next year assuming that No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is able to fully recover and return from the torn ACL he suffered last summer.
If you follow Newton on Twitter, you have probably noticed that he occasionally posts text as if he is using a keyboard on a phone straight out of 2002.
You're an MVP in 2016, Cam, and you're a young man on a contract that is, per Spotrac, worth at least $60 million guaranteed. We all know you can afford any smartphone you want. Let's leave the trend of replacing the letter "i" with the number "1" in text messages where it belongs—back in the early 2000s.
Stephen Curry
Maybe the highest praise one could give to Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is that he is the most fun NBA player that the league has had since Michael Jordan. Curry entering video game mode has become so commonplace that it is news when Curry doesn't bury multiple three-point attempts and light up the scoreboard on any given night.
Putting 25 points on the scoreboard in a first quarter. Draining threes from anywhere inside of the half-court line. Curry has become so entertaining that fans show up to games early just so they can watch his warm-up routines!
Most amazing about Curry is that his best is, barring some unfortunate injury or other setback, to come. Curry is the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player who is well on his way to retaining that award for a second season. The three-time All-Star may already be the greatest three-point shooter in history despite the fact that he is only 27 years old. Golden State has, throughout much of the season, looked unbeatable as it pertains to a seven-game series.
Curry has over 4.3 million followers on Twitter, but he may not be the biggest star in his own family...and no, we are not talking about his brother Seth or his father who was a basketball player back in his day. Curry's daughter Riley became an international sensation last spring due to her performances at her dad's press conferences. She even received her own shoe deal, per Sporting News.
Like the previously mentioned Neymar, Curry was also pulling for the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50. Curry was even invited to take part in a pregame ceremony. The Denver Broncos downed Carolina in what may be the final game in the legendary career of Peyton Manning, but that didn't keep Curry from having a laugh about the matter on Twitter after the fact.
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